Dear Europeans,

The meeting of the Convention in plenary on 15-16 April discussed a variety of topics, including changes to the procedures of the Convention, particularly regarding the involvement of the candidate countries. The main topic of debate was “The Missions of Europe”, and on Tuesday morning the proposed Youth Convention was also discussed. The focus is now moving away from fine speeches towards concrete initiatives. On Monday 15 April, Andrew Duff MEP presented his own draft preamble and articles for a European Constitution. Andrew Duff, who chairs the Liberal caucus within the Convention and is a member of the Convention Constitution Intergroup, stressed that a federal Constitution is necessary to refresh the Community method and entrench democracy in the Union. You can find more information on this below. Alain Lamassoure MEP, also a member of the Convention Constitution Intergroup, presented on 18 April his report on competences from the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the EP.

This Bulletin focuses on the topics covered in this week’s meeting of the Convention. In an interview, Mr Erwin Teufel, Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg and representative of the German Bundesrat to the Convention, shares with us his views on the competences question. In this edition there is an update on the progress of the Youth Convention planned for July 2002 and views from the youth political organisations. You will also find information about the Constitution Intergroup within the Convention, which was launched on Monday 15 April, and the latest public opinion polls from Eurobarometer. Lastly, some links will guide you to the latest news around the Convention itself.

If you want to comment on any of these issues, we now offer you a new service: join our online discussion forum at http://www.constitutional-convention.net/.Contributions to the Bulletin itself are also welcome. The next edition will continue to discuss “The Missions of Europe”, focusing in particular on the topic of the next session of the Convention, the division of competences. Send your contribution to mailto:contributions@constitutional-convention.net (deadline for the 6th issue is 29 April), or make a submission using the form online. As usual, you can see all articles of this Bulletin and previous editions in full length on our Convention homepage: http://www.constitional-convention.net/.

Best European greetings,

Your Editors